Neck-yoke



m5 Model.)

T N.-RUDGERS.

Neck Yoke;

No. 231,619. PatentedAug. 24, 1880.

. WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

THOMAS N. RUDGERS, OF FOWLER, MICHIGAN.

NECK-YOKE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 231,619, dated August 24, 1880.

Application filed April 12, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS NORTON RUD- GERS, of Fowler, in the county of Clinton and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Neck Yoke; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side view, and Fig. 2 a crosssection through line x 00 of Fig. 1.

My invention relates to an improved construction of neck-yoke for connection with the end of the tongue or pole in a double team and it consists in the peculiar means for increasing or diminishing the leverage of the neck-yoke, or adapting it to unequally-matched horses.

In the drawings, A represents the neckyoke, upon each end of which is fastened an elongated thimble, B, having upon the 'front side a set ot'lugs, a,with alternating notches. In any one of these notches, at each end, rest the rings 1), that connect with the neck-gear of the harness, and which rings are kept in place or prevented from slipping ofi the neckyoke by a spring'guard, c, which incloses all of the notches. This spring-guard is set parallel with the ends of the neck-yoke, and is sufficiently close to the ends of the lugs to prevent the ring from accidentally leaving the notch in which it may be placed, but, being made yielding or in the nature of a spring, may be forced out at will a short distance, to allow the ring to be slipped from one notch to the other in changing its adjustment.

(No model.)

The merit of this arrangement is that it permits the horses to be adjusted closer together or farther apart, according to the requirements of use or peculiarity of the animals, and if one horse be larger than the other one ring may be adjusted closer to the pole to distribute the leverage thereupon caused by the weight of the pole to suit the capacities of the two horses. This arrangement is also advantageous to lighten the load on one of the horses if one should have a sore neck.

For connecting the yoke to the pole a tube, 0, is made to embrace the middle portion of the yoke, and is formed of two semi-cylindrt cal pieces of malleable iron having flanges (1 cl, which are bolted or' riveted together. In perforated lugs e 6, near the ends of this tube, and in the flanged portion of the same, are arranged small rings or links ff, each connecting with a larger ring, D, which is slipped over the pole. Now, when the back strain is on the neck-yoke the double connection of the rings ff with the tube serves to hold the yoke stiffly in a horizontal position, and does not allow'it to sway backward and forward and hit the horses legs.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is A neck-yoke having at its ends a set of lugs, a, and alternating notches, combined with a ring, I), and inclosing spring-guard 0., substant-ially as and for the purpose described.

THOMAS NORTON RUDGERS.

Witnesses J. F. SHRAFT, JACOB WEITZEL. 

